Propoganda Poster Again Japanese During Ww2

Figure 1

Images created in times of war reveal the tensions and fears ignited by the conflicts between nations. Close analysis shows that the attached World State of war Two propaganda poster is i such image (Effigy 1). This 1942 poster, titledThis is the Enemy, circulated in the The states following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Its purpose was to embody the entire Japanese nation every bit a ruthless and animalistic enemy that needed to be defeated. This image represents a disharmonism between two nations at war and illustrates the biased perceptions that adult equally a result. By dehumanizing the Japanese and instilling fear in the minds of Americans, WWII propaganda posters prompted cultural and racial hatred that led to massive historical consequences for the Japanese.

Forms of propaganda have permeated gild for centuries and have evolved to become a common tool of warfare. In her journal commodity, Lynette Finch defined propaganda as "the direction of opinions and attitudes by the direct manipulation of social suggestion." (Lynette Finch, "Psychological Propaganda: The War of Ideas on Ideas During the Get-go Half of the Twentieth Century,"War machine & Gild 26, no. 3 (2000): 368.)

In other words, propaganda is used to influence people psychologically in lodge to alter social perceptions. In the case ofThis is the Enemy, the purpose was to change American perceptions of the Japanese (Effigy 1). One strategy used to reach this was fearfulness tactic. When viewing the image, the thick lines and dark colors combine to create an ominous tone. The stark white of the teeth and eyes on both faces highlights their extremely emotional expressions: one of anger and menace on the Japanese soldier, and one of utter fearfulness and terror on the woman. The large, looming position of the soldier adds to his intimidation, while the junior position of the woman emphasizes her helplessness. The knife is pointed menacingly at the adult female, indicating murderous intent. These features combine to instill fear and anger in the minds of Americans. The purpose of this was to rally the nation backside the war to defeat the Japanese "enemy."

Aside from fright tactics, the visual elements in the poster also support racial stereotypes against the Japanese. The peach skin colour of the woman is a typical depiction of a Caucasian American, while yellow is the colour stereotypically assigned to people of Asian descent. Other differentiations of the soldier include slanted eyes and a face that resembles an animal. The slanted eyes illustrate another Asian stereotype, and the monkey-similar face up depicts the Japanese as animalistic monsters. The woman, on the other mitt, has an ideal American appearance. She has attractive facial features and shows no hints of animalism. The American audience, young and old akin, could relate to her familiar facial features and human-like appearance. On the other hand, the subhuman depiction of the Japanese discrete whatever human relation between the two races. These racial distinctions were purposefully included in order to further amerce the Japanese every bit the "other" people.

Figure 2

Analysis of a supplemental WWII poster farther proves the influence of propaganda in spreading racial stereotypes. Tokio Kid Say depicts the "Tokio Child," a Japanese grapheme that appeared in a sequence of WWII propaganda posters (Figure 2). According toTime Mag, the "Tokio Kid" was created by artist Jack Campbell and sponsored by Douglas Aircraft Company every bit office of the company's campaign to reduce waste. ("Art: The Tokio Child,"Time Magazine, June 15, 1942.) In this particular poster, he is brandishing a encarmine knife, which supports the same portrayal of the Japanese equally unsafe murderers. The pointed ears and precipitous fangs besides add together to the menace of the character and transform him into an fauna-like beast. Over again, fearfulness tactics are supplemented by exaggerated racial stereotypes. Squinted optics and enlarged buckteeth illustrate generalized physical attributes of the Japanese. The buckteeth too advise a dopey quality, undermining the intelligence of the Japanese race. The drool hanging from his lips adds to his dim-witted appearance. Even the broken English in the caption mocks the intellect of the Japanese, and the use of the word "Jap" in the caption also demonstrates a racial slur used against the Japanese during WWII. This paradigm verifies that multiple WWII propaganda posters accomplished their purpose through most the same means: they instilled fear and racial prejudice against the Japanese in social club to gain the United States' support for the war.

Although the "Tokio Kid" represented the enemy overseas, I believe that the paradigm also tainted Americans' perception of Japanese Americans. The stereotypes represented in the affiche attacked the unabridged Japanese race by linking their physical attributes to animalism and unintelligence. Japanese Americans shared the same physical characteristics as the Japanese, then Americans began to inaccurately acquaintance them with the enemy. In this way, the racial stereotypes constitute in WWII propaganda prompted cultural hatred that transcended borders. The Japanese race became a common enemy, regardless of nationality.

Figure three

The biased and frequently beguiling depictions of the Japanese were non only express to blithe posters——even respected media sources such equallyLife Magazine aided the frenzy. By examining the photographs in the December 22, 1941 edition ofLife, it becomes clear that they are a directly form of propaganda (Figures 3 and iv). The text states that the photographs distinguish "friendly Chinese from enemy alien Japs."("How to Tell Japs from the Chinese,"Life Magazine, Dec 22, 1941, 81.) Skin color and facial features are generalized for each race, feeding into the stereotypes that permeated American psyches. These photographs put both races on display, treating them as specimens rather than equal man beings. However, while both races are objectified, the Chinese are portrayed in a positive light and the Japanese are displayed negatively.

Effigy 3 (Full Page)

The photographs in theLife article reveal racist stereotypes that are comparable to the biases in the aforementioned posters. In Figure iii, the Chinese human being's smile gives him an amiable appearance. The Japanese man, on the other mitt, is frowning and looks unpleasant and angry. The descriptions beneath the photos add to these portrayals: The Chinese human is described as a "public servant," while the Japanese man is listed as a "Japanese warrior" whose confront "[shows the] humorless intensity of ruthless mystics."(How to Tell Japs from the Chinese,"Life Magazine, 81.) The Chinese man's occupation implies that he helps people, while the title of "Japanese warrior" alludes to danger and disloyalty. By selecting these detail photographs,Life harmfully influenced American opinions of the Japanese.

In Figure 4, physical stereotypes of both the Chinese and Japanese are again reinforced, and the Japanese go along to be depicted equally the dangerous race. The Chinese men are dressed casually, accept carefree postures, and adorn slight smiles. However, the Japanese men are again frowning, and their military uniforms and stiff stances make them appear intimidating and bad-tempered. In the subheadings, the Chinese men are called "brothers" while the Japanese men are described as "admirals." Like to Figure 3, the captions in Figure four illustrate biases against the Japanese and differentiate them as an inhospitable race. In this way,Life used bodily photographs to distinguish the Japanese as a disagreeable and dangerous race. Past analyzing the subtle cues in the pictures, information technology becomes apparent that they serve the aforementioned physiological purpose as propaganda.

Effigy 4

Scholar Anthony 5. Navarro commented that "much of the social warfare between the The states and Japan involved instilling inside their people both a strong nationalistic pride for their own country equally well as an incendiary hatred for the other."(Anthony V. Navarro, "A Critical Comparison Between Japanese and American Propaganda During Globe War Ii," Michigan State University, https://world wide web.msu.edu/ ~navarro6/srop.html.) This hatred was i of the factors that led to inhumane treatment of the Japanese, even on American soil. In her journal commodity, Alison Renteln argued that "ane of the most repressive actions ever taken by the US government was the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War Two," and it was "the idea of eugenics and virulent racism that was partly responsible for the occurrence of one of America's worst civil liberty disasters." (Alison Dundes Renteln, "A Psychohistorical Assay of the Japanese American Internment,"Man Rights Quarterly 17, no. four (1995): 618.) Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were confined to filthy and unlivable concentration camps. This confinement led to the loss of Japanese holding, the separation of families, and numerous deaths due to the conditions of the camps.(Renteln, 620-21.) Although the war was being fought against the Japanese overseas, Japanese Americans were ultimately mistrusted and mistreated by the members of the dominant Anglo American culture.

This mistreatment was in role a consequence of the propaganda images that pervaded America during WWII. Renteln hypothesizes that "the fact that the Japanese Americans were portrayed every bit animals in much of the World State of war II propaganda may have helped convince the American public that inhumane treatment was acceptable." (Renteln, 620.) Posters such asThis is the Enemy andTokio Kid Say illustrated this perception of the Japanese as animals (Figures ane and 2). Navarro observed that "one'southward own nation was always the civilized ane while the enemy was depicted as barbarian, sub-homo, and in some cases, demonic. (Navarro, 1.) My previous analysis ofThis is the Enemy demonstrated this betoken. As a fellow member of the dominant Anglo-American audience, I found myself sympathizing with the Caucasian woman while looking down upon the creature-similar Japanese soldier with disdain. The ii races were starkly separated, and in my mind the Japanese race became the "other," the "enemy."

In the 1940s, this image probably resulted in a similar audience reaction. Renteln's article quoted an American political effigy as testifying, "The Japanese are less assimilable and more dangerous every bit residents in this country… with swell pride of race… they have no idea of assimilating… They never cease to be Japanese. (Renteln, 634.) This was a firsthand example of how negative attitudes toward the enemy "Japs" ultimately turned into prejudiced opinions toward Japanese Americans. In the minds of Anglo Americans, these perceptions justified the internment of Japanese Americans. Stereotypes portrayed in WWII propaganda images were used to rationalize the horrific conditions that were imposed upon this minority grouping. The acrimony, fright, and contempt felt toward the barbarian Japanese figures in propaganda images led Anglo Americans to care for Japanese Americans as if they were really barbarians. Past generalizing Japanese characteristics, propaganda images became i factor that led to the mistreatment of the entire Japanese race—even those who were American citizens.

Figure 4 (Full Page)

A war can bring nations together or tear them autonomously. It can be the catalyst that allows new alliances to grade, or it can cause discrimination against other nations. Furthermore, a war can cause furious hatred and distrust of a nation's own people.This is the Enemy is an instance of such hatred in blossom. Later the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, U.S. citizens cried out for vengeance and rallied support through media forms such as propaganda posters. Accuracy was oftentimes ignored in favor of fear tactics and brutal portrayals of the enemy. Images such every bitThis is the Enemy demonstrate these features and are an important tool to help historians clarify the biased perceptions that developed as an outcome of WWII, likewise equally the consequences that resulted.

Reference List

Art: The Tokio Child."Time Magazine, June 15, 1942. http://www.fourth dimension.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,795843,00.html. Accessed Oct 1, 2010.

Finch, Lynette. "Psychological Propaganda: The War of Ideas on Ideas During the Starting time One-half of the Twentieth Century."War machine & Society 26, no. 3 (2000): 367-86.

Navarro, Anthony V. "A Critical Comparison Betwixt Japanese and American Propaganda During Earth State of war II." Michigan State University. https://www.msu.edu/~navarro6/srop. html. Accessed October one, 2010.

Renteln, Alison Dundes. "A Psychohistorical Analysis of the Japanese American Internment." Man Rights Quarterly 17, no. iv (1995): 618-48.

Figures

Figure 1: "This is the Enemy." Maximum Advantage in Pictures: Propaganda every bit Art and History, March 2, 2010. http://chumpfish3.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-is-enemy.html. Accessed Oct one, 2010.

Figure two: Worth, Stephen. "Theory: Propaganda Office Two." ASIFA- Hollywood Animation Archive, August 7, 2007. http://world wide web.animationarchive.org/2007/08/theory-propaganda-office-two.html. Accessed October ane, 2010.

Figure 3: "How to Tell Japs from the Chinese."Life Magazine, December 22, 1941, 81. http://world wide web.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/foster/lifemag.htm. Accessed Oct one, 2010.

Figure 4: "How to Tell Japs from the Chinese." Life Magazine, Dec 22, 1941, 82. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/foster/lifemag.htm. Accessed October ane, 2010.

blaircals1981.blogspot.com

Source: https://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu/2012/03/wwii-propaganda-the-influence-of-racism/

Share this post